We recently connected with Cameron Rice and have shared our conversation below.

Cameron, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

TO be honest not learning. Not learning how things work, not learning how different types of people are, not learning how to work with limits. there’s a value to taking note of your environment. You spend all the money in the world on the best equipment but know how to use it, now you’ve wasted time and money. Also being in and out of a relation and doing the same as you did before. For me being observant and taking note, working with limited recourses has put me in a space to do thing a better way. we may never know what the “Right way” is, but at least you have a way. rather than doing the same thing and expecting new results, you find solutions and execute. there have been plenty of great things created with the minimal amount of resources. I’ve always said that ” The Mac isn’t going to make the beat for you” the music won’t just appear because you have a record deal. you’re going to fail , and fail again. Something about failing makes people scared to go further, But what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger so take pride in learning. It could be your best investment.

Cameron, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My story starts when I switched high schools in 2011, This is where I met someone who changed my life forever. His name was Cameron Waver. Him and his brother introduced me to the world of music. Before I was into things like photoshop, skating , and animating. Coming from Dayton, Ohio, there wasn’t a lot to do so you’d better find a hobby or a job haha. My whole life I had been around art, My older brother was always sketching or making pieces so art was not new to me. Music, I knew nothing about. I recorded my first song in Cameron’s room, got my first microphone , and learn to make music from them. About a year in I started releasing music under the moniker “bob fraust”, throughout the years I switched my constantly switched my alias until I came up with DRTYWHTVNS (Dirty White Vans) in 2014. 2013 into 2014 was also a turning point in my path, there I had met someone who also would become apart of my life forever. in 2013 My family moved into my uncle david’s house in Beavercreek Ohio and the house directly in front of mine was Kris’s. instantly We became of the best of friends. I used to sneak him out of his to make music at mine haha. him and his dad introduced me into a wider range of music like George Clinton, Jamiroquai, Slave and many more. I made my first beats and did my First shows with Kris. Fast forward we formed a group called sisqopink which consisted of Me , Kris (Dos Grandiose) , Deshone willis (Zola182) who I had also went to high school with. though we were. rap group, we had a love for different genres and connected through them. A lot of Jazz, Funk, dream pop and Bone Thugz in harmony helped us form our sound. we did the whole sisqopink thing for some years then formed the collective, Bad Genes in 2016. 2017 was also a crucial moment in my life because then I lived in New York and there I met Tony Coleman also known as (T$unami811) who has also become driving force in my life .Now Here we are now well rounded musicians with a collective as large as 6 core memebers and almost 30 affiliates. I say this to show that I’ve had incredible luck being at the right time in the right place. Meeting people who have shaped my life. I started out as just a rapper, turned into a producer and finally into a full fledge artist. From writing three songs a day in my bedroom to doing an album deal with ” Orange Milk Records” and so on. I’m grateful for the opportunities. My first album was made on a Mac book laptop microphone and now its in record stores in my home town, being played across the country. I just kept going, sure there were bumps in the road. Around the time OMR had asked me to do an album for them in 2019, that following year my step father had past away from covid. I spent 2020-2021 not knowing what do, making music and not thinking of where its going to go. coming towards the end of 2021 Seth, ( one of the owners of Orange Milk) told me I had a week to finish the album or wait next year. I had maybe 3 out of the 8 done and put my ass in hyper drive and out came my project that October. It was. a project I had always wanted to make. Though I rapped I had always been a fan of other genres and this was my way of showcasing that I was capable of making different types of music. yes I rap, But more importantly Its really just me finding ways to explain what going on in my head. I love working with limits , but I never limit myself. I think that’s what separates me from others, I never think things have to just be one way. Steve Jobs once said “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward” , So I never dwell on things , just move forward. I love to see what comes next and I think it reflects in my artisty.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Just start, the greatest people started and never stopped. when I started animating in 6th grade I never thought that’d I get 600,000 plus views by the time i was a sophomore in high school. Had I stop making music because someone told Me I was off beat , I would not have an album on cassette being sold in Japan on a largely renown indie label. Keep going forward. Things get bad, and they might even get worse but it’s not the end until it’s the end.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I want to be able to say I did it. I’ve always said we are the people that we’ve always wanted to be, its right in front of our eyes. Sometimes in can feel overwhelming or feel like I’m working towards nothing. it was easy for me to feel worthless because, there are people who work 10x harder than me somewhere. Then I remember everyones life is different. everyones goal and how there get there is not the same. when its all said and done I just want to be able to make the people around me happy with the choices I have made to get where I am at. being the best is cool but I think that’s someone else’s dream, just want to be great.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @drtywhtvns
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@badgenestv

Image Credits
Photos credited to Trevor Owens @thegoobowens